A facile method for fabrication of self-ordered aluminum nanodimple arrays with continuously tunable period from 60 to 89 nm

Abstract Aluminum nanodimple arrays (AlNDAs) formed by anodic oxidation technique have tremendous potential in synthesis of various nanostructures. Here, highly ordered AlNDAs with continuously tunable period were fabricated by one-step hard anodization (HA) aluminum in a mono-concentration sulfuric/oxalic acid mixed electrolyte ( 0.3 M/0.3 M ). We found that ordered AlNDAs were obtained at anodization voltage range of 30 to 50 V. By controlling anodization voltage and total charge density, the AlNDAs with period of 60–89 nm were obtained. The results provide an effective approach for precisely regulating the period of smaller period AlNDAs.